Skip to main content

Price vs Value

I have had five (yes, FIVE) washing machines in my adult life. Without telling you how old I am, I can say that in the first 25 years of my adult life I got a new washing machine about every four (yes, FOUR) years. (One washer moved around the room with someone sitting on it while it was running. I didn’t know they could do that. But, that’s another story for another time.) I think you would agree with me that a washing machine should last longer than that. I mean, if I was financing them, which I was not, the payments could have outlasted any one of those washers themselves.

About 10 years ago I decided to take the advice of a friend whose husband was a mechanic and bought used cars–total Junkers. He paid next to nothing for them, fixed them up a bit, and drove them until they just wouldn’t run any more. I never knew what kind of car my friend would be driving when she showed up to work. I did some research on a specific washer brand, found one used, and bought it sight unseen. BEST. WASHING. MACHINE. DECISION. EVER.

I did not pay a new price for that washer. In fact, I paid less than HALF of what I paid for the most expensive, this-one-will-not-break-down-because-there’s-nothing-to-break-down-in-it washer. But its value has FAR exceeded that of any other washer I’ve ever owned. And yes, I still have this one. I’ve had it for almost 10 years.

You can exercise the same principles with family entertainment, especially in preparation for the holidays. Here’s one…virtual scavenger hunts are an example of how similar experiences can cost a wide range–from $12.99 to $80 PER PERSON (see photo attached). 


Discovery Hunts for the holidays (or ANY occasion) cost so much LESS–as little as $75 FOR AN ENTIRE GROUP. With Discovery Hunts, hosts can offer a fun, unique, social-distance-friendly (if needed) activity to an unlimited number of people (it can be less than $1 per person for a large family or large gathering). Families can use them for longer timeframes as needed–not just a set number of hours. And families get personalization that doesn’t come with any other virtual scavenger hunt.

If I had never told you about my washing machine history, you would never know the machine was used and I got it for a song. And, your family won’t have a clue what a great deal you got on the MOST. FUN. THANKSGIVING-THEMED. FAMILY. EVENT. EVER. Trust me.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gifts that Matter

When I think about my childhood, there are a few events (some good, some not so good) that really stand out. These specific incidents made big impacts on me, so they really stuck. I bet you can say the same thing. These encounters, good and bad, help shape who we are. As parents, it is our job to teach our children to be honest, upstanding, contributing members of society. This does not happen by accident. Part of this process involves the experiences we give our children–we can orchestrate PEAK moments for our families that will leave lasting impressions on young, impressionable minds. What is a PEAK moment? According to de Jager Meezenbroek, Garssen, van den Berg, van Dierendonck, Visser, and Schaufeli in the Journal of Religion and Health , “Peak experiences are often described as transcendent moments of pure joy and elation. These are moments that stand out from everyday events.” Christmas offers an EXCELLENT opportunity to offer experiences that can become “PEAK moments” in ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Remove the Specs

You have probably heard the phrase, “looking through rose-colored glasses”? If not, allow me to introduce you to this idiom. It basically means seeing things the way you want to see them while putting a positive spin on that. It’s not a bad thing, but sometimes you need to see something for what it really is. How many of us have ever spent impetuously because we were upset or angry? “Gee, my spouse spent $500 on a (insert whatever he might buy to feed his hobby here) without asking, I should be able to spend the same on (insert what you would like to get here)!” I’m sorry/not sorry, but this is NOT a healthy way to look at things. It’s just wrong. And it’s a great example of erroneous thinking when it comes to managing money. According to Kingsford, “Thoughts create the emotions that drive us...” Oh, how true it is! She also points out how events lead to thoughts, which in turn lead to feelings. For purposes of today’s post, I’m going to call this “The Cycle.” If you want to be f...
Post a Comment
Read more

Choose Good

Someone I know recently made a trip to the grocery store. Another shopper thought she was buying too much bread for her family of nine and assaulted her. My friend is shaken but okay. The assailant was escorted from the premises. Unfortunately, emergencies bring out the worst is some. Whenever there is some sort of trauma going on in the world (and when is there NOT these days?) all kinds of crazies are going to come out of the woodwork. Don’t fall prey to one of them. You’re probably going to get phone calls from people claiming to be from different charities that are raising money for this and that. I used to try to tell them “No” politely. Now I just hang up. Or, better yet, don’t answer numbers you do not recognize, even those with the same area code you have. If you can and want to contribute to a charity, use one you have used before. While disasters bring out the scary, they also can bring out the best of us.   Be one of them. We are all spending more time a...
Post a Comment
Read more